DE Photo

What DE Photo does

DE Photo (trading as DEphoto) is a UK-based event photography services company founded in 2002 by Mike Moore and headquartered in East Grinstead. The company provides professional photography coverage for sporting events, school events, dance and performing arts shows, gymnastics competitions, and grassroots community events, and self-describes as the UK's largest sport, school, club and event photography company, having served more than 45,000 events. Service delivery is event-driven: photographers attend venues, capture action shots, team photos, and individual portraits, and operate on-site instant viewing and printing stations so attendees can purchase photos the same day, with a secondary online gallery channel (the DEphoto Dashboard) supporting post-event sales.

The company's underlying technology is a workflow and distribution platform rather than a software product: it includes a postcode-based event lookup system, event-code-driven photo retrieval, a customer-facing dashboard for gallery access, and a product storefront for physical merchandise such as prints, wall art, frames, and gifts. DBS-checked staff enable safe coverage of school and youth events. There is no disclosed AI/ML capability, API offering, or proprietary model; the differentiators are operational scale and logistics rather than software IP.

DEphoto's business model combines three revenue streams: per-event professional photography service fees (quote-based pricing, not publicly disclosed), direct sale of physical and digital photo products through on-site and online channels, and a commission or donation revenue-share with event organizers, which aligns the company with the venues and clubs that book its services. Customers include national federations (British Gymnastics), professional football clubs (Manchester City, Brighton & Hove Albion), county rugby associations, and hundreds of independent schools, grassroots sports clubs, and dance academies. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the company website and on-site sales, operating exclusively within the United Kingdom.

Name

DE Photo

Website

https://dephoto.biz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

DE Photo (DEphoto) is a UK event photography company, founded 2002, providing professional sports, school, and club event coverage with on-site instant printing, online galleries, and physical photo merchandise, serving 45,000+ events for grassroots clubs, schools, and performing arts organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Photography Services

NAICS

Photographic Services (54192), Commercial Photography (541922)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Party Photography & Videography Services (HSACACAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Photography & Photo Production (BPAFAIAF)

Keywords

• Event photography services
• Sports photography
• School photography
• Photo printing services
• Club event coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

East Grinstead

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Event Photography Services: Professional photography coverage at sporting events, school events, club events, and performances. Revenue generated from photography service fees at events.
2. Photo Products Sales: Sale of photo products including wall art, prints, frames, and gifts. Customers can purchase on-site at events or through the online portal.
3. Commission Revenue Share: Some event organizers receive commission or donations from photo sales, creating a win-win partnership model where DEphoto provides the service and shares revenue with venue/organizer.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DEphoto provides professional event photography services for sporting events, school events, club events, dance shows, gymnastics competitions, swimming galas, and other performances across the United Kingdom. Photographers attend events in person, capture action shots, team photos, and individual portraits, and make images available for purchase on-site with instant printing or via online galleries. The company also supplies physical photo products such as wall art, prints, frames, collages, and gift items, and operates an online dashboard where customers can locate photos by event code and place orders.

Product overview

DE Photo operates as a photography service provider offering event photography for sports, schools, clubs, and events across the UK. The core offering consists of professional photography services that capture action shots, team photos, and individual portraits at various events. The company provides specialized modules for different sectors: Sport Photography for sporting tournaments and competitions, School Photography for educational events, and Club Photography for dance and club activities. Customers can access their photos through the DEphoto Dashboard platform, which enables event lookup and photo purchasing. The product portfolio extends beyond photography to include tangible photo products such as wall art, prints, frames, and gifts. The service is positioned as the UK's largest Sport, School, Club and Event Photography Company according to their About Us section.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sport Photography Specialized photography coverage for football tournaments, rugby festivals, gymnastics competitions, swimming galas, athletics events, and other sporting activities, delivered by DEphoto's UK-wide photographer network. Aimed at sports clubs, associations, and event organizers.
• School Photography Photography coverage for school events including sports days, graduation shoots, prize givings, and academic ceremonies. Aimed at prep schools, independent schools, junior schools, secondary schools, and other educational institutions.
• Club Photography Photography coverage for clubs and organizations across dance shows, martial arts tournaments, gymnastics competitions, and club competitions. Aimed at dance schools, stage schools, performing arts academies, and other community clubs.
• Photo Products (Wall Art and Gifts) Range of finished photo products including wall art, prints, frames, collages, and gift items available for purchase directly on-site at events or through the online gallery portal.
• DEphoto Dashboard Online customer portal that allows customers to find their photos using an event code or postcode lookup, access personal photo galleries, and order photo products after an event.

Quantifiable outcome

• Photos available for viewing and purchase within minutes of being taken at events
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Pixieset: Photography platform offering online galleries, client delivery, and storefront tools for professional photographers — adjacent enabler of the same on-site/digital hybrid commerce flow DEphoto runs internally.
• ShootProof: Photography business management platform providing online galleries, client proofing, and digital delivery tools — a technology enabler serving many of the same types of event photographers as DEphoto's in-house dashboard.

Emerging players

• Snappr: On-demand photography marketplace connecting customers with professional photographers for events, sports, and corporate shoots — partial overlap in event photography delivery model and target SMB/event buyer.
• SportsPics UK: UK-focused sports event photography provider offering online galleries and print sales for amateur and grassroots competitions, partially overlapping with DEphoto's sport photography segment.

Broad incumbents

• Shutterfly: Large US-based consumer photo products and school photography platform (parent of Lifetouch), with comparable online gallery, print, and wall-art product range that overlaps with DEphoto's photo product upsell.
• Lifetouch (Shutterfly): Largest school photography company in North America, owned by Shutterfly, with comparable on-site capture, yearbook, and online gallery workflow — broader geographic footprint but the same school/sports event photography business model.

Direct peers

• Tudor Photographic Group: UK-based school and group photography company providing individual portraits, class group shots, and online ordering — operates in the same vertical with comparable delivery and product offering.
• Tempest Photography: One of the UK's largest school, college, and group photography companies, operating the same sport/school photography model with on-site capture, online galleries, and photo product sales — directly competing for the same grassroots UK customers.
• Gillman & Soame: Long-established UK school and event photography firm (since 1921) offering portrait, sports day, and group photography with online galleries — a direct competitor in the same UK school photography niche.
• Van Os Photography: UK school, nursery, and sports event photography company with on-site capture and online galleries, competing directly for the same school and grassroots sports segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DEphotoHO
• Facebookfacebook.com/dephotoho

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DE Photo